A Wigglesworth Leicester Tigers legacy possible, but change needed
He may only have a matter of months left at Leicester Tigers before he joins the England coaching team, but Richard Wigglesworth has the opportunity to leave a legacy at the club as a coach as well as a player.
The Tigers are defending champions but it has been all change in the East Midlands since Steve Borthwick was poached by the national team, leaving his lieutenant Wigglesworth in charge.
I thought it was all going to be hunky-dory after their opening game under former scrum-half Wigglesworth saw them slice open Gloucester.
Leicester have struggled
Thereafter, however, they’ve struggled. Despite an impressive win over Clermont in Europe, Leicester have lost to Sale, Newcastle, Ospreys and Northampton. The wheels have fallen off.
But I do believe that their season can start now; the Premiership is so competitive this year so Leicester remain in the mix.
Sunday’s game at home to Saracens will make or break their season. Both sides are without some key internationals but if Leicester cannot beat the Londoners with their South African and Argentinian contingent then it is going to be a long old year for them.
They are struggling without their old boss, that’s clear to see, but they almost need to just snap out of it and accept they’re in a new era.
They simply cannot allow daylight to appear between them and the top four. They’re currently in eighth, three points off the playoff places, but come the end of the weekend they could be seven adrift.
I have seen various reports surrounding who could take over at the end of the season once Wiglesworth joins Borthwick’s England set-up, and one coach catches my eye.
Gregor?
I like the idea of Gregor Townsend taking the job after the World Cup – though his future with Scotland is currently unknown.
While his club history remains simply his five years at Glasgow Warriors, he has turned a good set of Scottish lads into a team who are challengers for the Six Nations.
He has had issues in the past with big personalities – notably Finn Russell – but Leicester doesn’t look to be a side with too many of those.
Since his departure from his role with Fiji, I think Vern Cotter could have one eye on a move to the Premiership. He has had success with the Crusaders, Clermont and Montpellier in the past. When we used to go to Clermont and play we knew exactly the type of ferocity we would face.
Yes, Rassie Erasmus will bring an aura with him but I am not sure how he’d handle being a club coach. He was great at Munster but they’re a province and he was/is – clearly – quality with South Africa in various roles. But a Premiership club like Leicester with limited resources? I am not so sure.
There are a number of candidates for the role but as it stands the season will be played out under Wigglesworth.
The former Saracens player must now plot the downfall of his former club to ensure his current team can begin to push towards the play-offs yet again. It’s a tough gig, but the change must begin now.
China Sevens head coach Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development and behavioural change. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn.